Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vienna and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,243 in Vienna, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Vienna
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Vienna Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,243

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vienna and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Vienna and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,243 in Vienna versus $1,806 in Athens.

Vienna $2,243
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,331 in Vienna versus $2,731 in Athens.

Vienna $3,331
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,420 in Vienna versus $3,656 in Athens.

Vienna $4,420
Athens $3,656

Living in Vienna is roughly 24% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vienna 67% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 €16.14

$16.66 €14.87

8.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.7

$66.2 €59.1

19.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.21 €11.79

$11.06 €9.87

19.44%

Cappuccino

$5.16 €4.61

$4.14 €3.69

24.64%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 €3.37

$2.80 €2.50

34.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$0.57 €0.51

477.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 €5.33

$5.64 €5.03

5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$5.46 €4.87

3.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.96 €1.75

-18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.41 €1.26

57.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.83 €2.53

-10.25%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.03

$5.04 €4.50

-10.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.39 €11.95

$15.35 €13.70

-12.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.03 €12.52

$10.34 €9.23

35.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.95 €19.59

$18.97 €16.93

15.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.67

$2.17 €1.93

37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.91 €1.70

20.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 €3.20

$1.38 €1.23

159.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.56

$2.20 €1.96

81.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.10 €0.98

69.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.13 €1.00

59.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.10 €0.99

75.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.77

$0.83 €0.74

3.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.33 €6.54

$5.60 €4.99

30.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.27 €7.38

$10.19 €9.09

-18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.18 €1.95

-33.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.45 €2.19

-27.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.38 €1.23

145.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 €51.3

$30.87 €27.55

86.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 €4.91

$4.37 €3.90

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.04 €0.93

99.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.23 €39.47

$17.11 €15.27

158.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.31 €2.07

-10.39%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.7K €26.5K

$28.0K €25.0K

6.18%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.0K €25.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

3.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$310 €277

$210 €187

47.81%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.38 €12.83

$26.70 €23.83

-46.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.98 €27.65

$30.13 €26.89

2.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 €34.04

$54.6 €48.72

-30.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.71 €24.73

$26.03 €23.23

6.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.33 €12.79

$10.78 €9.62

32.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$353 €315

$575 €513

-38.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K €25.1K

$13.1K €11.7K

114.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 €76.5

$93.2 €83.1

-8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.88 €32.92

$40.68 €36.30

-9.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 €82.6

$104 €92.9

-11.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$128 €115

5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,134

$756 €674

68.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 €808

$652 €582

38.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 €2,139

$1,294 €1,154

85.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,562 €1,394

$1,163 €1,038

34.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K €12.9K

$4,008 €3,577

260.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,939 €5,300

$3,452 €3,081

72.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,471 €3,097

$1,243 €1,110

179.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

4.48

-23.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Vienna: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Vienna

$906 40.3%

Athens

$652 36.5% 28% $254

Groceries & Markets

Vienna

$360 16%

Athens

$315 17.6% 12.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vienna

$355 15.8%

Athens

$267 14.9% 25% $89

Eating Out

Vienna

$316 14%

Athens

$269 15% 14.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Vienna

$158 7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 4.6% $7.3

Getting Around

Vienna

$87 3.9%

Athens

$46 2.6% 47.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Vienna

$67 3%

Athens

$76 4.3% 14% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,271 in Vienna and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vienna pays 179% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Vienna vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Vienna

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h ahead of Vienna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,920,949 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vienna Athens 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Vienna vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Vienna. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 179% higher in Vienna, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,271 in Vienna versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $79.0 in Vienna. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,243 per month in Vienna versus $1,806 in Athens – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,243 in Vienna, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Vienna. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Vienna and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Vienna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.